CVE-2010-0509 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
SFLServer in OS Services in Apple Mac OS X before 10.6.3 allows local users to gain privileges via vectors related to use of wheel group membership during access to the home directories of user accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-0509 represents a privilege escalation flaw within Apple Mac OS X operating systems prior to version 10.6.3. This issue specifically affects the SFLServer component of the OS Services framework, which handles various system-level operations including user account management and directory access controls. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of wheel group membership during home directory access operations, creating a pathway for local attackers to elevate their privileges within the system. The flaw demonstrates a classic example of insufficient privilege checking and access control enforcement that has been categorized under CWE-276, which addresses improper ownership of system resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the SFLServer service's interaction with user account permissions and group membership validation. When users attempt to access home directories, the system should properly verify that the requesting user possesses appropriate privileges based on their group memberships and account status. However, the vulnerable implementation fails to correctly validate wheel group membership, allowing local users to exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through the exploitation of system-level services and access control mechanisms. The flaw essentially allows an attacker to bypass normal access controls by manipulating the group membership validation process during directory access operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with elevated system access that could enable further malicious activities. Local users who exploit this vulnerability could potentially gain root-level access to the system, allowing them to modify critical system files, install malicious software, or access sensitive data. The attack vector requires local system access, making it less severe than remote exploitation vulnerabilities, but still poses significant risk in environments where multiple users share the same system or where unauthorized local access could occur. The vulnerability affects the core system services that manage user authentication and authorization, making it particularly dangerous as it operates at a fundamental level of system security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-0509 should prioritize immediate system updates to Mac OS X version 10.6.3 or later, where Apple has addressed the privilege escalation flaw in the SFLServer implementation. System administrators should also implement additional security measures including regular monitoring of system logs for unauthorized access attempts, enforcing strong account lockout policies, and conducting regular security audits to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper privilege validation in system services and demonstrates why access control mechanisms must be rigorously tested and validated. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as mandatory access controls, privilege separation, and regular security assessments to prevent similar issues from occurring in other system components. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the update does not introduce compatibility issues with existing applications or system configurations while maintaining the security improvements necessary to address this vulnerability.